Amini Kajunju
[Education]
AAI enters 2016 bursting with new hopes, expectations and renewed energy for the new scholarship programs launched as well as informative Africa-focused events in the coming months. We hope you will stay engaged with AAI throughout the year.
Our Future Leaders Legacy Fund will kick into full gear this year. As many of you know, the Legacy Fund is a newly-launched scholarship fund to provide Africa’s smart, yet under-resourced students with scholarships to study in high-performing African universities and technical colleges.
We are so proud to have selected our first class of Legacy Fund Scholars for the 2015-2016 school year. Our Scholars are the first in their family to attend university. We hope to raise $2.5 million to enable 300 students to receive an excellent university education in Africa. Please consider investing in the Legacy Fund. Learn more here.
Recognizing the need to strengthen workforce skills in the science, engineering and technology sectors in East African countries, we are thrilled to partner with the East African Development Bank on a scholarship program to enable East African teachers and lecturers to earn a graduate degree in the STEM fields at Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology. The application process is now open for the EADB Math, Science, Technology and Engineering University Scholarship Program. The deadline is January 25. Spread the word to your colleagues and networks.
Since our inception, AAI has worked to shape U.S.-Africa policy and engagement and weigh in on critical issues impacting the African continent. The U.S. presidential campaign is no different. We hope you’ll join us for a Conversation on Africa (COA) forum, Looking Ahead: Setting U.S. Policy in Africa for the Next U.S. President, in April on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
You will weigh in with congressional leaders, U.S. Government officials, policy experts and members of the African Diplomatic Corps in proposing the U.S.-Africa policy agenda for the next Administration.
AAI’s Washington Office will continue to stay actively engaged in important initiatives and policy that invests in Africa’s next generation of leaders and will strengthen workforce development in Africa.
Did you know that Africans in the Diaspora sent home nearly $33 billion in remittances to loved ones in 2014? We are collecting information on how and why Africans in the Diaspora send remittances to family members in their home country. The survey responses will help inform future AAI programming on how remittances help pay for education. The survey takes less than five minutes and can be accessed here.
Best wishes for a prosperous New Year. Be sure to become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Amini Kajunju, President and CEO
